Mode

kid

parent

Why can’t Stoons have more than one kid? Why can’t they own pets or practice magic? And why do they wear red berets? Dany doesn’t know … but he intends to find out.
Ages 10+
Pages 200
Publisher Green Bean Books
Coming Nov 2023
Awards
Sydney Taylor Notable Book

Average Rating

77 Reviews
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What the Book Is About

Twelve-year-old Dany lives in the shantytown reserved for the Gottika residents known as Stoons. Stoons do not enjoy the same rights as other Gottikans – They must wear a red beret and obey a curfew; they can’t own pets or land. There’s anti-Stoon sentiment in Gottika, and it’s getting worse. But then Dany’s father decides it’s time for things to change. This fast-paced, futuristic adventure will engage kids while introducing them to the dangers of prejudice and inequality and the importance of standing up for what’s right.

Jewish Content & Values

Readers will recognize implicit Jewish content: the Stews as a ghetto, Old Tongue as Hebrew letters, the gol as a golem, and the Khumasha as the Bible, among other concepts from Jewish history and scripture.

Positive Role Models

Dany is a thoughtful, responsible, and courageous boy who looks out for his family and friends. He tries to save Dalil despite her marriage to evil Count Pol, the enemy of the Stoons. He befriends Moish, the Gol, and loves him like a brother despite his strange ways.

Content Advisory

This is a suspenseful adventure, and Stoons are discriminated against, imprisoned, and often fear for their lives under Count Pol’s unfair and cruel regime. Books are burned and a young man goes missing; his slashed and stained clothes are put on display. During a battle, two characters fall from a high window and perish. There are no graphic details about these deaths.

Talk It Over

When Dany and his friend Beano try to buy modeling clay from a local shop, they are overcharged just because the shop owner does not like Stoons. A police officer is standing right outside, but, as Stoons, they don’t feel that the law will protect their rights. Why do you think they felt this way? What would you have done in their position?   

More for You

Rabbi Judah Loew, also known as the Maharal of Prague, was a late 16th century Jewish mystic and scholar famously associated with the legend of the Golem. During his lifetime, the Jews living in the ghetto of Prague suffered from frequent pogroms and blood libels. The Maharal created a Golem named Yossele to defend the Jewish community using clay from the banks of the Vltava river enervated by the name of God. Even today, some believe that the body of the Golem still lies buried in the genizah (the attic where scraps of holy writing was stored) in the Altneu synagogue. 
What the Book Is About

What the Book Is About

Twelve-year-old Dany lives in the shantytown reserved for the Gottika residents known as Stoons. Stoons do not enjoy the same rights as other Gottikans – They must wear a red beret and obey a curfew; they can’t own pets or land. There’s anti-Stoon sentiment in Gottika, and it’s getting worse. But then Dany’s father decides it’s time for things to change. This fast-paced, futuristic adventure will engage kids while introducing them to the dangers of prejudice and inequality and the importance of standing up for what’s right.

Jewish Content & Values

Readers will recognize implicit Jewish content: the Stews as a ghetto, Old Tongue as Hebrew letters, the gol as a golem, and the Khumasha as the Bible, among other concepts from Jewish history and scripture.

Positive Role Models

Dany is a thoughtful, responsible, and courageous boy who looks out for his family and friends. He tries to save Dalil despite her marriage to evil Count Pol, the enemy of the Stoons. He befriends Moish, the Gol, and loves him like a brother despite his strange ways.

Content Advisory

This is a suspenseful adventure, and Stoons are discriminated against, imprisoned, and often fear for their lives under Count Pol’s unfair and cruel regime. Books are burned and a young man goes missing; his slashed and stained clothes are put on display. During a battle, two characters fall from a high window and perish. There are no graphic details about these deaths.

Talk It Over

When Dany and his friend Beano try to buy modeling clay from a local shop, they are overcharged just because the shop owner does not like Stoons. A police officer is standing right outside, but, as Stoons, they don’t feel that the law will protect their rights. Why do you think they felt this way? What would you have done in their position?   

More for You

Rabbi Judah Loew, also known as the Maharal of Prague, was a late 16th century Jewish mystic and scholar famously associated with the legend of the Golem. During his lifetime, the Jews living in the ghetto of Prague suffered from frequent pogroms and blood libels. The Maharal created a Golem named Yossele to defend the Jewish community using clay from the banks of the Vltava river enervated by the name of God. Even today, some believe that the body of the Golem still lies buried in the genizah (the attic where scraps of holy writing was stored) in the Altneu synagogue.